The present invention relates to motor vehicle bodies and, more particularly, to a rigid retractable roof panel for a pickup truck.
Convertible tops, one piece removable or targa/tops, two piece removable or "T" tops and removable and non-removable sunroofs or moonroofs are common devices which enable vehicle drivers to experience the open air while driving. Many of the above devices are moved or removed either manually or automatically or a combination of the two between a use and storage position. The manual devices require the driver to either fold, crank, push, take off, remove, or the like the device to move or remove it from its roof covering position to its retracted/storage or removed position. The automatic devices are usually operated by a push of a button to move the device from its roof covering position to its retracted storage position.
In pickup trucks, it is desirable to have a removable roof panel. However, due to the design and construction of pickup truck cabs, with their space limitations, it is difficult to design a retractable type of roof for the cabs. Since the pickup truck cab does not have the luxury of having a lengthy longitudinal roof panel, horizontally retractable roof panels are not feasible. Likewise, since pickup trucks do not include a covered trunk or the like, it is difficult to design a convertible top which folds and is stored behind the passenger compartment within the cab.
Retractable roofs for pickup trucks are illustrated by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,750,778, issued June 14, 1988 to Hoban, entitled "Pickup Truck Convertible Hard Top/Jump Seat"; and 4,805,956, issued Feb. 21, 1989 to Saunders, entitled "Convertible Pickup Truck". Both of these patents illustrate pickup truck roofs where the roofs and back window portions of the cab are manually pivoted together into the bed of the pickup truck. In the '778, the pivoted roof and back window are utilized as a jump seat for the occupant.
While the above described patents enable the pickup driver to experience the open air, the driver is faced with the dilemma of only being able to use a portion of his valuable cargo area in the pickup truck bed while the roof is down. Thus, if the pickup truck driver desires to have a full cargo bed, he would be unable to utilize the retractable roofs illustrated in the above patents.
The present invention provides the art with a rigid retractable roof which moves from a use or horizontal position covering the cab to a vertical storage position within the cab. The retractable roof is automatically retracted by the driver by pushing a switch within the cab. The retractable roof is stored behind the pickup truck's seat, enabling the truck cargo bed to be fully utilized.
From the subsequent detailed description and appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.